Guide Dogs For The Blind Inc
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Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our mission deliverables are greatly influenced by our departmental interdependencies. The 2020 pandemic - though years ago - dramatically impacted our work for years to come due to its causal interruptions to breeding, training, and client pairing and instruction. It takes years to get back on track in the guide dog industry when a dramatic prolonged interruption occurs - and we are getting there quite effectively. Client wait times are still longer than desired but great progress is being made. All efforts are laser focused on partnering the right guide dog with the right client to provide enhanced safety, mobility, independence, and inclusion, within as short a wait time as possible. Guide Dogs for the Blind's 10-year strategic plan addresses this need and objective. We believe that everyone deserves to live the lives they want to live - because when everyone is empowered to participate, our communities are stronger. This is a driving force for Guide Dogs for the Blind.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Puppy Raising
Puppy raisers are responsible for teaching our puppies good manners and basic obedience for about the first year of the pups’ lives. Puppy raisers typically join local puppy raising clubs, wherein they share ideas and information, work on training techniques, and participate in socialization outings. The pups return to one of our campuses for their formal guidework training when they are between 15 and 17 months old. When the pups graduate as guides, the raisers are invited to the graduation ceremonies to formally present the dogs they raised to their new partners.
No prior experience is necessary to become a puppy raiser. Our Puppy Raising program is available in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington. We serve clients across North America.
Guide Dog Training
At 15 months of age, the dogs return to a GDB campus in San Rafael, CA or Boring, Oregon (near Portland) to begin their formal training. Formal dog training requires 12 intensive weeks and includes, among many other skills, alerting companions to obstacles, negotiating traffic, and mastering a complex behavior called intelligent disobedience, in which guide dogs learn to recognize rare circumstances in which they should not obey their owner’s command in order to preserve the team’s safety. This is followed by a two-week team training, during which clients learn how to work with and care for the dog, as well as how to address specific needs related to the individual. The training culminates in a graduation ceremony, where the student is presented with his/her dog by the volunteer family who raised the dog.
Veterinary Financial Assistance
Guide Dogs for the Blind is committed to the health and welfare of our dogs throughout their lives. GDB provides financial assistance for veterinary care as needed for all of our working guide dog teams.
GDB’s Veterinary Financial Assistance Program (VFA) is designed to:
- Provide appropriate financial support for GDB alumni requiring veterinary attention for their guide dogs
- Ensure that finances are not a barrier to guide dogs receiving appropriate veterinary care
- Provide health information to GDB for each guide dog on a regular basis
- Help manage veterinary-related expenses for the responsible stewardship of donor contributions
Graduate Support
GDB provides our alumni with a lifetime of support. Clients become part of a world-class alumni association and also receive the following benefits: financial assistance for veterinary care, as needed; in-person follow-up visits; access to a dedicated support center, and when the time comes for a guide to retire, we discuss the potential for a successor dog.
Orientation & Mobility Immersion
Teaching orientation and mobility tactics for safe, independent travel, including the skills that are most relevant to guide dog mobility.
K9 Buddy
The K9 Buddy Program matches both children and adults with specially selected dogs not suited to be guide dogs to be their pets and companions.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
Assistance Dogs International (ADI) 1987
International Guide Dog Federation 2022
International Guide Dog Federation 2023
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People with vision impairments
Related Program
Guide Dog Training
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The number of clients served were dramatically impacted by the COVID pandemic, beginning in FY2019 / Calendar 2020, and that impact will be felt for years due to the nature of our business.
Number of people trained
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Guide Dog Training
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
In fall 2021, we began ramping up new guide dog client training programs after breeding and training were dramatically impacted due to COVID-19. 2023 numbers include Orientation and Mobility training.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Guide Dogs for the Blind envisions a world with greater inclusion, opportunity, and independence by optimizing the unique capabilities of people and dogs. Our 10-year strategic plan funds four key strategic priorities:
I. Serve constituents more broadly
• We seek to support our constituents with a broader range of services that meet their individual needs more
holistically throughout their lives. We will do this by 1) expanding our outreach programs to make more people
who are blind or visually impaired aware of our services and the guide dog lifestyle, and 2) expanding our
programs for youth, growing our orientation and mobility program, and creating more programs for seniors
who may be transitioning away from a guide dog.
II. Serve more clients without breeding more dogs
• We plan to increase the percentage of dogs that are placed in service to our mission
• Keep all GDB dogs healthy and productive
• Place career change dogs in service to other individuals
III. Serve as a global industry leader and partner for public policy and education to create a society that is more
receptive to people with visual impairments
• Guide Dogs for the Blind has been a thought leader in the guide dog industry, playing a leadership role in
client and dog training, puppy raising, and admissions. We seek to expand our leadership role on the world
stage to change how the world views blindness. Society has made great strides in becoming more inclusive to
all people. But hurdles to full inclusion still exist, misperceptions about blindness are still common, and
blindness has largely been overlooked, resulting in fluctuating government services as budgets and
administrations change. We are committed to supporting our clients with education and resources. And we
take a broader approach to advocacy in order to influence training, policy, research, and public education in
the field to get closer to achieving inclusion for people who are blind or visually impaired.
IV. Develop sustainable management, systems, and culture to ensure long-term viability and growth
• We believe that our long-term sustainability depends on efficiently and effectively using our resources and
fundraising capabilities and on building a strong, trusting, inclusive, and collaborative culture. We will:
1) Develop a best-in-class national fundraising and marketing strategy
2) Maximize financial resources
3) Invest in human capital
4) Make the best use of campus facilities and capacity to achieve goals and maintain financial sustainability
5) Continue to invest in information technology to maximize efficiencies and drive strategic decision-making
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We have identified four key strategic priorities to guide the organization and our measure our progress going forward. These priorities are described above in more detail in our 10-year Strategic Plan. Our four key strategic priorities are:
Serving more individuals who are blind or visually impaired
Increasing the percentage of dogs that serve our mission
Serving as a global industry leader and partner for public policy and education to create a society that is more receptive to individuals with visual impairments
Developing and enhancing sustainable management, systems, and culture to ensure long-term viability and growth
These align directly with the selected sustainable organizational development goals, and GDB is as committed to these goals internally as we are externally to ensure the best present and future.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have a 10-year strategic plan to meet our ambitious goals. As the largest guide dog school in North America, we offer exceptional support for guide dog teams, free of charge, for as long as our client can use a guide dog. This support can often mean creating as many as six or seven (or even more) Guide Dog partnerships over the life of a client; providing consistent quality veterinary support and literally decades of personalized in-home training through follow-up visits as needed. In addition, we are constantly investing in research and development, creating new approaches and techniques in breeding, veterinary care, training and support, which is why our success rate continues to climb. We are always raising the bar, sharing our expertise and knowledge so the industry as a whole can improve. We are also dedicated to expanding the web of support for our clients and their guides in their communities through our alumni association, strong connections with local veterinarians, puppy raising clubs, and other agencies and organizations that work with people who are blind or visually impaired. Because when everyone is empowered to participate, our communities are stronger.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We continue to increase our influence in the global guide dog community through our involvement in the International Guide Dog Federation; our collaborations with guide dog organizations in Israel, Australia, Slovakia, the Netherlands, and elsewhere; enhancements in socialization and training that improves the success of our guides; expansion of programs to support our clients and graduates; successful placements of "career change" dogs with a growing number of service dog organizations who align with our values and the manner in which we treat our dogs and clients; the introduction and expansion of new programs such as Orientation and Mobility Immersion, and the expansion of existing programs that service blind and visually impaired youth and young adults such as our Camp GDB and K-9 buddy programs. We recently launched several new online learning opportunities for transition age youth who are blind or visually impaired, their parents and/or other family members, and professionals in the field of blindness and visual impairment. Workshops include the Canine Connection - Is Your Child Ready? and The Ruff Life Academy - Harness Your Pawtential. - a five-day workshop series open to teens age 14-17, and young adults age 18-24.
We are committed to supporting and assisting youth and young adults who are blind or visually impaired, and the caring network of people in their lives, to be as well informed and prepared as possible to make the decision regarding cane or canine when the time is right.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals, To best advocate for and on behalf of the people we serve for complete societal inclusion and equity
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded, We share findings with other organizations in our field
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Guide Dogs For The Blind Inc
Board of directorsas of 02/15/2024
Diana McQuarrie
Joan Boyd
Business Owner
Deborah J. Neff
Founder & Principle of DJN Consulting Inc.
Rhonda Bakusko
Business Executive & GDB Client
Cheri Owen
Life Coach & GDB Client
Christine Benninger
GDB President & CEO
Amit Ahuja
University Professor & GDB Client
Claudia Barkmeier
Financial Planner
Dan L'Abbe
Business Executive
Diana McQuarrie
University Professor
Joan Robinson
Retired Librarian & GDB Graduate
Chris Coleman
Retired Executive
Leanne Bremner
Corporate Communications & GDB Graduate
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 08/21/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.